How did you get started as a Production Designer?
My first job as Production Designer was on a series of Children’s Film Foundation films, some thirty years ago, for Saturday morning cinema, where I was single-handedly Location Manager and the entire Art Department! This was invaluable experience and was shortly followed by the opportunity to design ‘Hawk the Slayer’, one of the earliest of the ‘Sword and Sorcery’ genre.
Is Production Designer what you always imagined you would do?
Originally I had wanted to be a yacht designer.
Where and what did you study?
I studied Civil Engineering at Southampton University, a course that included making technical drawings of the bridges that we had to design. My mother had trained as an architect before becoming a stage designer and my father was an actor; that undoubtedly contributed to my desire to design for film after I graduated.
Who gave you your first break? What TV show/film was it on?
My first job was on a Boulting Brothers film at Shepperton Studios, then owned by British Lion. It was a psychological drama called ‘The Twisted Nerve’, directed by Roy Boulting and produced by John Boulting, starring Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett. I was introduced to an Art Director who was looking for an Art Department Assistant, and as the job had been advertised it meant that I could apply for a union card, which was then a requirement.
The Solar Café - The Prisoner
Which aspect of your work do you most enjoy?
I find all aspects of it are great fun but the initial location searches with the Director are both helpful and rewarding as ideas get put together. Travelling through wild areas of Australia with Bill Douglas on ‘Comrades’ was memorable, as was walking over vast Dunes in Namibia with Nick Hurran on ‘The Prisoner’. But no less so, was searching for locations to film the House of Commons with Stephen Frears for ‘The Deal’ or visiting the House of Lords with Tom Hooper on ‘Longford’.
Tolpuddle High Street - Comrades
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Every production presents its own difficulties, but the overriding challenge is extracting the maximum in design terms within the constraint of the budget.
What is the main inspiration that drives you?
It must be creating a believable world in which to set the film, whether it is surreal or our own. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to recreate real places and events, and there is a responsibility to create the right character and emotion. To do this, it is of great help to meet people who were actually involved or are experts on the subject. On ‘The Krays’, the twins’ elder brother was technical adviser. He was full of alarming stories about his gangster siblings.
I met Derek Bentley’s sister when making ‘Let Him Have It’, a sad story, in 1952, of a boy hanged although he didn’t commit the murder. As a film maker you can be granted access to many places you would not normally be allowed to visit and as the set of an execution chamber was required, I was allowed to go and see the only one left, in Wandsworth Prison, which added a harsh reality to the design.
Withnail & I is a cult classic. What drew you to being the Production Designer on this film?
The script was amazing, a masterly piece of writing, and it was hard not to laugh out loud when reading it. Bruce Robinson, the writer and director, was amazed that I found the actual cottage he had stayed in and which had inspired some of the scenes. Through the window I saw the oven into which the boots and the poor chicken had actually been put. The location we used was more dramatically set, but the original, owned by a farmer called Parkin of Ravens Cragg farm, was surrounded by grass with no track leading to it, which is why the Jaguar gets stuck. There are many wonderful things to be said about this film, but we have to thank George Harrison for backing it through his company, Handmade Films.
Uncle Monty's Cottage - Withnail & I
When did you first become interested in Doctor Who?
I can remember watching Doctor Who when William Hartnell was the first Doctor and my father appearing as Sir Charles Summer in ‘Dr Who and the War Machines’. From the outset it held a fascination as it could draw a sense of fear from everyday surroundings.
Behind the Tesselector eyeball - Doctor Who - Let’s Kill Hitler
How did you get the gig on Doctor Who and why did you accept the job?
I was delighted to be asked to work as Production Designer on Dr Who and to have the opportunity of designing such a wide variety of sets in each story. The scope is enormous and challenging, how could I have possibly not accepted the job!
What was your first episode of Doctor Who as Production Designer?
It was last year’s Christmas Special, when I was launched into the alternative world of Kazran, with his gargantuan palace, Sardicktown, cryochamber and of course a spaceship.
How does the whole process of set designing for Doctor Who begin?
After reading the script I talk it over with the Director and Producer to get the idea of what is wanted and sort out what should be shot on lotion and what sets we should build in the studio. This will be followed by a Tone meeting with all the Producers, Writer and Heads of Department, where concept drawings and photographs are shown and discussed so everyone will know what to do.
How do you make sets and locations that are so particular to Doctor Who?
Deciding upon which location to use is extremely important, whether it is a fantastic building, a forest or a field. You have to match the emotion of the story with the emotion created by the location. With a set you can create exactly the image you require, which is easier in one way but you have to invent the answer. The sets and locations should create the right ambience for what is about to happen. The use of a steel works in Newport was a particularly good choice for Sardicktown, Dyrham Park made an excellent dolls house and the Millennium Centre was perfect for the ‘Girl Who Waited’. Using South Wales’ medieval castles gave a brutal reality to the Acid Monastery.
Which episode have you most enjoyed designing in this series of Doctor Who?
It is hard to say as all the episodes have had their challenges but I found designing the pirate story was particularly fun as it had to fulfil everyone’s idea of what such a boat should look like. I had to remember back to what I would have expected as a child. Dressing the set was great fun and creating the hanging hospital posed some interesting problems.
The Captain's Cabin - Doctor Who - The Curse of the Black Spot
Do you mutate sets from one episode to another?
In these days of financial stricture it is very useful to be able to turn one set, or part of it, into another. The White House Oval Office set became The Acid Well, The Birthing Chamber and ultimately part of the space hospital in the Pirate episode, before being finally taken down.
You have worked on lots of historical dramas. How does that help with designing sets for Doctor Who?
Historical dramas have been of great use as the good Doctor often finds himself in different periods of British history. When such scenes live up to the standard of good historical dramas the science fiction sequences become more believable. I have always liked history and enjoy creating historical sets.
How do you keep the series at the very cutting edge of design?
With such worldwide interest in Doctor Who, I do feel a great sense of responsibility and it is important to make all the sets as intriguing as possible.
What can you tell us about the set design on the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
I wouldn’t want to spoil it so I can’t say much about the coming Christmas Special, except that it is a magical story that I am sure everyone will enjoy.
Do you have a particular Doctor Who villain that you enjoy designing sets for?
From the first days, I was both amazed by the improbability of the Daleks and very impressed by the terror they transmitted. Up to now I have only had to create part of a wrecked Dalek space ship so I would welcome the opportunity of having to design more.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I am working on designs for the next series of Doctor Who.
What is your proudest professional moment?
Being nominated for a BAFTA for ‘Longford’ was indeed a proud moment and there is a sense of pride on behalf of your Art Department. On ‘Cruel Train’ I had to build a full size railway system in a very large disused turbine shed, complete with platforms, level crossing, signal box and a tunnel, not to mention two steam engines and several carriages. There was a great sense of satisfaction to see it all working.
Victoria Station - Cruel Train
If you could choose to work on a certain TV or film genre, which would it be?
I have worked in most if not all genres, in both film and television. Doctor Who manages to combine all the genres but if asked which particular genre I would choose, I would have to say that I would welcome whatever the future may hold.
